“I AM TOO BUSY TO FOCUS ON THE EMOTIONAL NEEDS OF MY TEAM”
Every so often, I hear leaders and senior executives say that managing people is time consuming, and they do not have time to get involved with the emotions of their employees.
“Leave your emotions at the door, when you walk into this office.”
“Don’t bring your personal problems to work.”
While it is true that we need to stay professional and focus on business outcomes, goals, and targets, we also need to remember that we are working with people, and people have emotions.
Asking them to IGNORE this, is like a ticking bomb. Why? They cannot be themselves, and to be able to express themselves authentically. How long will they last in a workplace that does not listen?
If you do not have time to coach and lead your team, what is the alternative?
Are you doing the work yourself? Because the team does not understand your goals and aspirations? The question is which problem would you rather…
A
Keep yourself busy, while you don’t get the support of your team for your larger aspirations. You might get things done in the short term, and even be more effective you do it yourself
or
B
Take time to coach and guide them, which is a longer process, and they participate in the building of the business with you.
Which would you rather?
Being too busy to focus on people at the workplace can have negative consequences for both the leader and the team.
Here are some reasons why:
- Decreased Productivity: When leaders are too busy to focus on their team members, they may miss important opportunities to provide guidance, feedback, or resources that can help their team members perform at their best. This can lead to decreased productivity and lower quality work. Productivity comes best when your employees understand the need to get more done, with less energy and resources. If they do not understand this, your company resources can be wasted, as they don’t understand the importance of being efficient.
- Reduced Engagement: When team members feel like their leader does not have time for them, they may become disengaged or feel undervalued. This can lead to lower morale and higher turnover rates. Engaged employees always behave in the interest of the organization, because they care. You can’t put a price on this, but the VALUE of an engaged employee is tremendous!
- Poor Communication: When leaders are too busy to communicate with their team members, misunderstandings or miscommunications can arise, leading to errors, delays, or conflicts. Poor communication leads to lots of fire-fighting, and putting out chaos. In the end, if people continue to miscommunicate and misunderstand, more energy is put into managing problems, instead of growing the business and personal growth.
- Missed Opportunities: When leaders are too busy to connect with their team members, they may miss important insights, ideas, or concerns that could help the team or the organization. This can lead to missed opportunities for innovation or improvement.
To avoid these negative consequences, leaders should prioritize building relationships with their team members and finding ways to connect with them, even when they are busy. This might involve scheduling regular check-ins, delegating tasks effectively, being present and engaged in meetings, and making time for one-on-one conversations. Leaders who prioritize people and relationships are more likely to have engaged, productive teams who feel valued and supported.
Want to learn how to coach and lead your team with positive resonance?
